China's Ministry of Education has issued an early warning to Chinese who plan to study overseas and warns them to be careful when choosing private schools overseas.

The warning comes after the bankruptcy of five Australian schools that is reported to have affected many Chinese students.

In addition, the ministry puts forward four suggestions to people going to study abroad and agents offering an overseas-study service. The suggestions are: students should avoid the five Australian schools in question and agents should stop cooperating with these schools; students should choose a school from the list of overseas schools published by the ministry when applying to study abroad; students and parents should read carefully the enrollment advertisements of overseas schools published on the media; it is now more likely that overseas schools will go bankrupt due to the shortages of funds and students as a result of the global financial crisis, and there will be less opportunities for students to study and work in foreign countries.

Last week, five private schools owned by Australia's Global Campus Management Group went bankrupt as a result of the bankruptcy of GCMG. This affected more than 3,000 students, including 1,265 from China.

The five schools are reported to be GCM Fashion Institute, The Meridian International School, Meridian International Hotel School, International Design School, and Meridian College. These schools provided a range of courses ranging from senior middle school courses to English language and vocational education and training. Most of the students of the schools are reported to be 16-20 years old.

It is understood that the Chinese Embassy in Australia has consulted with the relevant departments in Australia and urged the Australian education department to make proper arrangements for the Chinese students affected by the bankruptcy of the five schools.

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